‘Rutgers 250’ Tomato Seeds Go on Sale

The Rutgers 250 tomato seeds can be purchased through the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station’s website.
Credits: Peter Nitzsche

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - Home gardeners, get ready for the chance to plant a little New Jersey nostalgia in your backyard this spring.

The Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) recently released the new “Rutgers 250” tomato seeds for sale, introducing an improved version of the classic Rutgers tomato – which is what most people think of as the Jersey tomato.

The tomato seeds can be purchased through the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station’s website, but are in very limited supply, said Tom Orton, a professor in the Department of Plant Biology and Pathology.

Rutgers 250 tomato plants will also be available at the Middlesex County Master Gardener plant sale during Rutgers Day on April 30, and at other events and farm markets this spring.

The Rutgers 250 tomato is promising to add a burst of flavor to salads and sandwiches that most supermarket varieties lack. It is the result of several years of work by a team of researchers who strove to reinvent a historically significant variety and was named in celebration of Rutgers’ milestone 250th anniversary.

“The Rutgers tomato was a variety that had defined a whole industry,’’ Orton said. “At one point in time most of the tomatoes grown around the world were the Rutgers variety. It was grown for both fresh market and for processing – and dwarfed everything else.’’

The Rutgers tomato became synonymous with the Jersey tomato and the culinary experience of eating something fresh from the garden, Orton said.

“It’s what you think of when you think back to the tomatoes you had when you were younger and they came right off the vine into your house and you cut into them and they were red and the flavor was bursting,’’ said Orton, who oversees the university’s tomato breeding program as a specialist with NJAES.

Photo: Courtesy of Cindy Rovins

About 2,000 seed packets of the new Rutgers 250 are available this year for the debut.

The original Rutgers tomato was released in 1934 as the result of a collaboration between the Campbell Soup Co. and the university. When the original Rutgers tomato was developed, it was considered more resistant to cracking than its predecessors and became a staple ingredient in the Campbell’s soup product line.

It was used by several other large companies including Hunt’s and Heinz, and was popular on American dinner tables for decades. But like many innovations of the era, the Rutgers tomato was developed without a patent, and seed companies made changes to it over time.

The new variety has a firmer skin and acid and sugar balance reminiscent of the original Rutgers tomato, said Peter Nitzsche, an associate professor and agricultural agent for Rutgers Cooperative Extension who has been working with Orton on the project.

“The Rutgers 250 has that traditional Jersey tomato flavor with a little bit of bite and complexity,’’ Nitzsche said. “We are hoping it mimics the same flavor people remember from the original Rutgers tomato, but from a new variety with a better plant and fruit quality.’’

About 2,000 seed packets of the new Rutgers 250 are available this year for the debut, Orton said. But NJAES will sell a nearly identical second new tomato variety, the Rutgers250 Schermerhorn (named for Lyman Schermerhorn, the breeder of the original Rutgers tomato) when they run out of the Rutgers 250. Rutgers 250 seeds will be more widely available for sale next spring.

Orton is also working to develop a version of the new Rutgers tomato suitable for large-scale commercial farmers that should be ready in 2018.

“The purpose of the Rutgers 250 celebration is to have us look back and appreciate what has come before us and what has made us what we are today,’’ Orton said. “The Rutgers 250 tomato celebrates our strong agricultural heritage, which includes the development of many new varieties of plants that became an important part of commerce in New Jersey, in the region, and the world.”

To get updates on where to buy Rutgers 250 tomato plants this spring sign up here.

The opinions expressed herein are the writer's alone, and do not reflect the opinions of TAPinto.net or anyone who works for TAPinto.net. TAPinto.net is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the writer.

PISCATAWAY, NJ – It’s been three years since Mikey Wojcik lost his dad, Mike to pancreatic cancer, and the pain remains ever high.

“This year of all of them has been the hardest for me,” 12-year-old Mikey wrote on his mom’s Facebook page. “It’s just finally hitting me that I will never see him again and it is just so crazy to think ...

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ - In the midst of a media firestorm today, Dr. Victor Valeski, East Brunswick Superintendent of Schools, fielded questions from local and national journalists regarding the placement of armed police officers inside each of the district's K-12 buildings. The move seemed to many as a "knee-jerk" reaction to the fear generated by the massacre of ...

PISCATAWAY, NJ - After a memorable collegiate debut, Eric Heatter of the Rutgers baseball team earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week in an announcement from the league office on Monday. The left-handed pitcher struck out eight in four shutout innings of relief to beat a nationally-ranked Miami squad in the series finale.

TAPintoTravels - As you know, we are here to encourage you to travel. Unfortunately, the New York Toy Fair is one place virtually none of you can go. So, unless you have been tirelessly been searching the internet, you are not up to date on what toys your children will be wanting soon.

Fortunately, with Press Correspondent credentials, we were able to go in your ...

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ - In the midst of a media firestorm today, Dr. Victor Valeski, East Brunswick Superintendent of Schools, fielded questions from local and national journalists regarding the placement of armed police officers inside each of the district's K-12 buildings. The move seemed to many as a "knee-jerk" reaction to the fear generated by the massacre of ...

The South Plainfield Middle School Student Council would like to express our thanks for the support of local businesses and organizations in our fundraising efforts. A spaghetti dinner was hosted by the South Plainfield Elks Lodge #2298 on January 13th. Mrs. Sharon Reuter and members of her Youth Committee and kitchen crew provided dinner for family, friends and staff of South ...

New Brunswick, NJ - On Friday, February 23, student groups, a coalition of Rutgers unions, and representatives from campuses across the nation will hold a rally and march on College Avenue to demand a $15 minimum wage.

The action, initiated by the Rutgers chapter of United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) and the Rutgers American Association of University Professors - American Federation of ...

The tragedy of the Florida school shooting is devastating leaving 17 killed and 15 injured. Our children can easily identify with what occurred yesterday. It will be the topic of conversation today in schools everywhere. School administrators are doing all they can to provide support and guidance. The shootings affect children, teachers, and school personnel. The ...

“Of course you’re good-looking.” “You’re the best friend ever.” “Who wouldn’t want you on their team?” Is there a parent out there (including me) who hasn’t praised a child in order to make him or her feel better? Sometimes it’s true, and sometimes we say it because we just can’t stand to see them ...

Researchers in Denmark studied the health records of more than 300,000 people born between 1930 and 1989 and found that those who were shorter than average height between ages 7 and 13 had a greater risk of stroke as adults. The results of this study were published in the February 15, 2018 issue of the journal Stroke.

Researchers in China studying the consumption of “burning” hot tea, alcohol, and smoking habits of greater than 450,000 people ages 30 –79 for more than nine years found a five time greater risk of esophageal cancer in those who engaged in all three of the behaviors and a two time greater risk in those who either smoked or drank alcohol and consumed burning hot tea as compared ...